Some polar solvents, e.g., N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), dimethyl formamide (DMF), etc., have reproductive toxicity, which drive the ever increasing global safety and regulatory concerns related to these materials. For example, NMP is listed in the Substance of Very High Concerns (SVHC) registry of the European Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) and REACH Annex XVII which lists the restrictions on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of certain dangerous substances, mixtures and articles.
NMP is used in the electronics industry for cleaning and stripping of various parts (e.g., components for display units, semiconductor substrates, etc.) and equipment, and considerable amounts of it are consumed annually. Developing an eco-solvent to achieve similar performance with a better environmental profile than NMP is an urgent request from electronic processing customers. This invention details solvent combinations that, in some embodiments, provide the same or better cleaning ability, and stripping ability for photoresist removal, than NMP.